Table of Contents :
ORIENTATIONS OCTOBER 2004 ISSUE

Three articles in this issue relate to the exhibition `China: Dawn of a
Golden Age 200-750 CE' opening at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
on 12 October 2004:

THE MAKING OF TANG CIVILIZATION: AN OVERVIEW OF `CHINA DAWN OF A GOLDEN
AGE, 200-750 CE' by Jason Sun, Associate Curator, The Metropolitan Museum
of Art. The author has selected for his overview of the exhibition a few
of the some 300 objects on view - artefacts of nomad peoples of Mongolia,
glass and precious metals from Western and Central Asia, works of art
associated with the spread of Buddhism and works in every medium from the
Tang period that reflect the East West cross-cultural interchange from
the 2nd to mid 8th century.

FROM HAN TO TANG: THE ACCULTURATION OF BUDDHIST IMAGES IN CHINA by Angela
F. Howard, Professor of Asian Art, Rutgers, The State University of New
Jersey and Special Consultant of Buddhist Art, The Metropolitan Museum of
Art, New York. The author has selected gilt bronzes and stone sculptures
from the Met's exhibition to examine the process of transformation of
Buddhism and the emergence of Chinese Buddhist art through the styles of
the Northern, Eastern and Western Wei, Northern Qi, Northern Zhou and Sui
periods.

THE SARCOPHAGUS OF SABAO YUHONG, A HEAD OF THE FOREIGN MERCHANTS (592-
598) by Boris I. Marshak. The author concludes from his detailed
examination of the painted and gilded reliefs and murals of one of the
most unusual exhibits in the Met's exhibition that this sarcophagus,
produced by Chinese artists for a Sogdian client, demonstrates more
creative freedom than the traditional art of China and a high level of
exoticism and dynamism.

A SEATED BODHISATTVA IN THE COLLECTION OF THE MARY AND JACKSON BURKE
FOUNDATION by Soyoung Lee, Assistant Curator, Department of Art, The
Metropolitan Museum of Art. In an attempt to give a greater appreciation
and understanding of Choson period Buddhist sculpture, the author has
selected for her discussion a gilt-wood seated bodhisattva of the late
17th or early 18th century from the exhibition `Hidden Jewels: Korean Art
from the Mary Griggs Burke Collection' at the Met until 9 January 2005.

TINY BOTTLES: WHAT A WELL-DRESSED QIDAN LADY WEARS ON HER BELT by Jenny F.
So, Professor of Fine Arts, Chinese University of Hong Kong. To mark the
opening of an exhibition `Noble Riders from Pines and Deserts - The
Artistic Legacy of the Qidan' at the Chinese University of Hong Kong on
25 October, the curator looks at a group of small containers suspended
from a belt worn by the Qidan Princess Chen to provide a better
understanding of the Qidan ruling elite and what artefacts were important
to them.

UNEARTHING LIAO ELITE ART AND CULTURE: AN EMPIRE IN NORTHERN CHINA DURING
THE TENTH AND TWELFTH CENTURIES CE by Xiaoneng Yang, Curator of Chinese
Art, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. The author's examination of the
archaeological finds from well-preserved tombs and Buddhist pagodas in
Liao controlled territory not only provide a detailed study of Liao elite
burial practices but also shed light on the daily life of the Qidan and
others who resided in the territory.

ETERNAL PRESENCE: HANDPRINTS AND FOOTPRINTS IN BUDDHIST ART by Kathryn
Selig Brown, Associate Curator, Rubin Museum of Art. As curator of the
exhibition `Eternal Presence: Handprints and Footprints in Buddhist Art'
at Katonah Museum of Art from 17 October 2004 to 9 January 2005, the
author has selected a thangka that depicts the Eighth Karmapa to argue
that some paintings display handprints and footprints other than the
lama depicted.

CONFERENCE REPORT by Dora Wong: `THE FAMILY MODEL IN CHINESE ART AND
ARCHITECTURE' at Princeton University.BOOK REVIEW by Robert Harrist:
`First Masterpiece of Chinese Painting: The Admonitions Scroll' by Shane
McCausland and `Gu Kaizhi and the Admonitions Scroll' edited by Shane
McCausland.

PREVIEW OF `CONNOISSEUR'S ANTIQUES FAIR, NEW YORK', `TAIWAN ANTIQUE
DEALERS' ASSOCIATION EXHIBITION 2004' and `ASIAN ART IN LONDON'

COMMENTARY: CULTURAL UPDATE FROM AFGHANISTAN by Nancy Hatch Dupree,
Society for the Preservation of Afghanistan's Cultural Heritage.

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